8 dead at Mohave Truck Rally

[RallyDude]

I was surprised that no one had posted about this yet.

What a terrible crash. I've thought for a long while that rally spectators get way too close to the competition. It really seemed like it was only a matter of time. I think this incident will have nation-wide, if not world-wide consequences. I hope that rally spectators won't lose interest as they will likely be required to maintain a safe distance.

I feel sorry for all the families of the dead (8) and wounded (15) and the driver who wasn't physically hurt, but I can't imagine how he's feeling right now.

[BigSwede]

What a terrible crash. I've thought for a long while that rally spectators get way too close to the competition. It really seemed like it was only a matter of time.

No doubt...almost every rally I have seen footage of seems like folks are in harms way.

I feel sorry for all the families of the dead (8) and wounded (15) and the driver who wasn't physically hurt, but I can't imagine how he's feeling right now.

Absolutely.

[Gussie2000]

Is always sad fo read or hear those kind of incidents,specially when the the intent of those events is to entertain families & rally fans.

I use to rally back in the 90's in my country & always thought at every race about this situation having spectators just feets away from rally cars driving by so close.

To all relatives and families my sincere condolences

[WormGod]

I feel bad for the families and driver, but ya know, not so much for the irresponsible bystanders. It all comes down to respect for your own safety. If you're an idiot enough to stand on harm's way or not even have the common sense to know you are in harm's way, no sympathy. I have attended enough rallies and witnessed these adrenaline junkies first hand. RallyX is one thing cause generally the cars aren't pulling the speeds these super modified desert crawlers are. These super modified are HAULING.

Someone is plowing through the desert at night, full throttle, and you wanna stand all up on the trail? Well, they should hand you your Darwin before you even head out to find a good seat.

Ya, kind of a dick opinion, but this happens in WRC all the time and nobody cries about it. But we are Amurricans. We cry anytime something is tagged "a tragedy". We are !@#$sies and whine that EVERYTHING must be safe. Next thing ya know, restrictions are put in place and our sports are dumbed down, yet again. Good lord, even our adults apparently need baby sitters.

[Luna X]

I feel bad for the families and driver, but ya know, not so much for the irresponsible bystanders. It all comes down to respect for your own safety. If you're an idiot enough to stand on harm's way or not even have the common sense to know you are in harm's way, no sympathy. I have attended enough rallies and witnessed these adrenaline junkies first hand. RallyX is one thing cause generally the cars aren't pulling the speeds these super modified desert crawlers are. These super modified are HAULING.

Someone is plowing through the desert at night, full throttle, and you wanna stand all up on the trail? Well, they should hand you your Darwin before you even head out to find a good seat.

Ya, kind of a dick opinion, but this happens in WRC all the time and nobody cries about it. But we are Amurricans. We cry anytime something is tagged "a tragedy". We are !@#$sies and whine that EVERYTHING must be safe. Next thing ya know, restrictions are put in place and our sports are dumbed down, yet again. Good lord, even our adults apparently need baby sitters.

X2

[nfpgasmask]

X2

X3, bigtime.

Bart

[VX KAT]

X3, bigtime.

Bart

x4...OK I know this is getting redundant.
Yes, it is sad that anybody died or was injured, that's a given here, but I believe strongly in self responsibility. I do feel sympathy for the families of all since they weren't the ones that stood 3 ft from a speeding race vehicle. And I agree, these kind of irresponsible actions by some do cause the dumbing down of many many things in our lives....thanks to plaintiff attorneys. I spent 25 yrs in the business of "risk management"..the science of assessing risk (in health care).....and I've seen a ton of dumb things.

To quote my favorite comic....
"you just can't fix stupid"....
-Ron White

And Jay Leno has a new segment called "what did you think was going to happen?"

Just my opinions....

[Scott Harness]

Get out of the road!... plus what everyone else said

[Triathlete]

One of the guys that dieds friend was on the news this morning saying how he thought that the driver should have had the common sense to slow down in crowded areas!
WHAT? It is a race with money on the line.
He never mentioned that the fans should have the common sense to give these speeding off road rockets the space they need to do their job.
Unfortunate typical thinking...blame someone else instead of taking responsibility for ones own actions.
Tragic event...yes. But like said above x5.

[Y33TREKker]

One of the guys that dieds friend was on the news this morning saying how he thought that the driver should have had the common sense to slow down in crowded areas!

Sounds like he was probably the reason his neighborhood streets had "Slow Children Playing" signs (*) when he was a kid.

(*) No offense meant to all Children Playing out there whose brains work at normal speeds.

[RickOKC]

What a horror. I’ve seen videos of other rally races gone wrong so I wasn’t surprised to hear about this. I’m always amazed how reckless people are with their own safety. I see it every single day - people slowly walking across the street because "traffic HAS to stop for ME" and others riding their bicycles in 50 MPH zones during rush hour traffic. I wouldn't consider doing either with all the sleepy drivers in the morning who are probably stirring their coffee and texting as they drive. I know we have some avid bike riders here - please, please, please be careful! We had 3 fatalities in the metro in the last month, all in rural areas with speed limits of 50 MPH or above.

[Ascinder]

This guy pretty much sums it up.

[RallyDude]

The film showed people just before the whole crowd within 10 feet of the track. The people that died were within 10 feet of the track right after a jump. Obviously not a bright area to stand.

What's is strange to me is the mob mentality. It's not that some people were to close, they ALL were too close.

Why is this so unique to Rally. You don't see NASCAR participants standing next to the track? Racing is about driving close to the limit. You can't fault a driver for trying to win. I just don't understand requiring the driver to wear a helmet and fire suit, and he's INSIDE the car, while participants with nothing more on than a T-shirt are allowed to stand inches from the action?

I don't agree with dumbing down the sport, but what about stringing some lines where people watch these events? It's not fair to the drivers to make them feel if they make a small mistake, that it will cost the lives of several enthusiasts and ruin families.

[WormGod]

I heard this so don't know if it is a valid fact, that the driver was pelted with stones when he crawled out of the overturned truck. WHAT?!

You know, if anything, this WAS an amateur event too, so really, stand as close to the passing vehicles as possible. It doesn't make sense with professional drivers, SO WHY IS IT RIGHT WITH AMATEUR ONES!!!!!!!

You !@#$ing idiots!

Sorry, really pi55es me off. I have run autoX for years and even though not as high profile as desert romps and rally, NOBODY has ever been stupid enough to be near the track. Not only for their safety, but out of respect for the competitors on the track. Any race fan knows that, so it just tells me that these clowns are hardly real fans. Back to the NASCAR oval with you idiots.

[ZEUS]

I heard the same and that he had to run from the scene.